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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Hey everyone! So I know I haven't been the best blogger this year (compared to last), but I wanted to celebrate my one-year blogiversary nonetheless. Despite this year's lack of writing motivation, blogging has been a lot of fun for me. I love buying new products, sharing them, and hearing your opinion in the comments. I feel like one year of blogging is a worthy cause for celebration, so I've put together a little giveaway to thank you all!

1) Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY2) Must be 18+ years of age or have your parent's permission to enter3) Must fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter4) Must be willing to provide a shipping address if won5) The winner will announced in a separate blog post and will be emailed6) You are only eligible to win if you have not won a previous giveaway on Abundance of Erica7) If the winner does not respond to my email within 48 hours, another winner will be contacted8) All prizes will be shipped in pristine condition (none have been removed from their original packaging), but I cannot be held responsible for damages that occur in transit

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hey everyone! Recently I was contacted by a nail polish company called Tuesday In Love, and I was asked if I would like to try out their line of water permeable nail polishes. Naturally, I agreed, because the whole idea of "breathable" nail polish is becoming super popular and it's so intriguing!

First, I'd like to talk about why this breathable nail polish has been gaining popularity. If you find staining to be an issue with painting your nails, this is a great option. The nail polish allows water to seep through the nail polish and onto your nail which is very hydrating and healthy. Some moms see this as a great option for kids who otherwise aren't allowed to wear nail polish.

In addition, many Muslim ladies have been loving this trend, since wearing nail polish prevents water from reaching your nails during wudhu. My Muslim friend Zeina explained it to me well and since I'm not a specialist I thought I'd share what she said:

"Basically when we pray we have to do this thing called wudhu, "ablution" in English, where we have to wash certain parts of the body (hands, mouth, nose, face, ears, neck, hair, arms and legs). When we wash our hands, it's been said if we have nail polish on then our fingernails aren't cleaned." (She mentioned that this isn't an absolute fact or anything, which is why some Muslim women don't care about nail polish)

"Because regular nail polish usually doesn't let water go through, our wudhu is nullified and our prayer doesn't count because our wudhu wasn't done properly! However, with this nail polish, it allows water to go through (YAY!) so while doing our wudhu our fingers and hands will get cleaned and our wudhu will count and thus our prayer will count while we wear nail polish."

"Usually we can only wear nail polish when we can't pray (during periods) or usually if we have a special occasion we do our wudhu and then wear it, but that limits prayer throughout the day. At a wedding once I wore nail polish and basically I couldn't pray 'til I got home."

Incredibly opaque in ONE coat. As you can see on the left, there was a little bit of streaking but that would be easily smoothed out with a second coat. I was so impressed with the opacity that I didn't bother.

It's totally peelable! I've tried "peelable" nail polishes before and none have actually worked aside from this one. Once it starts looking a little ratty you can peel it right off! No need for remover whatsoever.

$12.47 price point as opposed to Inglot's $16 ($14 American)

Portions of each purchase are donated to Plan Canada's "Because I Am A Girl" campaign (Read more)

Water permeability test approved. When you purchase this nail polish you get a pamphlet with instructions on how to perform the test. Basically you paint a portion of a paper towel, drop some water on top and see if it seeps through.

No need to worry about applying a base coat to protect your nails!

Cons:

Because it's peelable, this nail polish will not last more than a day. In my book that seriously sucks because I tend to keep my nail polish on for days, however if you do participate in wudhu or have a special occasion that calls for a nice manicure, this will definitely satisfy that even if just for one evening.

As you can see in the top right-hand photo, the nail polish starts to change color as it gets worn. I assume this is due to water settling between the polish and nail. Again, this nail polish is really only for one day's use.

Comparison to Inglot O2M nail polish:

The major company specializing in these kinds of polish is Inglot which also has a line of breathable nail polishes. I personally haven't tried the Inglot polishes, but my friend Zeina has and is graciously willing to provide a comparison. She says that the Inglot polish lasts longer, however the formulation is incredibly thinned out and requires like five coats to render it opaque. The Tuesday In Love is therefore much easier to apply. Again, there is a $4 difference in price point between the Inglot & Tuesday In Love.

Verdict: Would I purchase another Tuesday In Love nail polish? Probably not, because I prefer a long-lasting manicure. That said, the Inglot nail polish seems to have an equal number of faults and if these are the only two options for Muslim ladies, Tuesday In Love definitely has its advantages. It honestly just depends if you're looking for something longlasting or temporary!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Hey everyone! A couple days ago I blogged about OPI's "A Definite Moust-Have" so today I have part 2 - "Chic From Ears to Tail". As I said in that previous post, the new OPI Couture de Minnie collection, although not particularly unique, had some really great staple colours. This is one of them.

If you feel like your collection is lacking a bubblegum pink, this is a great choice. I have to admit, it's a little on the thin side, so you might have to lay it on thick if multiple-coaters aren't your thing. Otherwise, the formulation is creamy and the brush is ideal - not too dense and easy to use. If I'm not mistaken, I detect a really slight shimmer, but it's probably just there to give it some extra shine. I definitely foresee myself reapplying this a couple more times this summer.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

I'm on summer break and I don't currently have a full-time job, which means I'm basically always watching TV or reading a book or watching movies to pass the time. Also, I'm curious about what TV shows everyone's watching so I thought I'd discuss some of the summer shows I'm loving, and you guys can let me know what you're watching in the comments & if we watch the same stuff, I'd love to chat about it :)

I figured I'd get the show I'm least excited about out the way first: Pretty Little Liars. Ugh, this shoooow. I'm going to be honest... I'm not into it anymore, but it's on its fourth season and I feel like I'm in too deep to back away now. I hate-watch it now (kinda like how you hate-read Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey). It frustrates me to no end, but somehow, I'm stuck on it. I have major issues with this show, not because of the mediocre acting, but because of the writers. Mysteries from seasons past are left unsolved, and I feel like they constantly bring up new elements instead of tying loose ends. Overall, really unsatisfying. Would not recommend. If you watch it too, please tell me you feel the same way?! I think I have hopes that they'll somehow revive it and make it worthwhile... Sigh.

Canadians, you can catch up on episodes at MuchMusic.com.

Big Brother: I'm not by any means a BB superfan like most of this show's viewers, but I've definitely enjoyed watching the past couple seasons. My only problem with it is that it's difficult to keep up with because it airs Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Other than that, it's really interesting to watch! I love seeing who befriends who, who wins what competition, which alliances are strong and which ones die... It's a lot of fun. Admittedly, most of the contestants are shallow and unidimensional, but Big Brother makes for the best "guilty pleasure TV show". I'm not absolutely loving anyone right from the start this season, but my favorites so far are Amanda and Nick.

Canadians, you can catch up on episodes at GlobalTV.ca.

Skins (!!!!!!!!) I recently re-watched seasons 1 through 4 of Skins on Netflix so I'm really excited about the 7th season. If you are unaware, this will be the last season of the show and will only be 6 episodes long, highlighting the lives of Effy Stonem, Cassie Ainsworth, and James Cook (all past characters). So far, only the first episode has aired and personally I think it's still too early to decide whether or not this is a good idea. I'm already sad about what they did to Naomi's character, but we'll have to see how everything pans out in the next episode. I'm excited for it!

Torrent this to catch up!

My Netflix summer pick is Psych, a hilarious and smart detective show. I happened to catch an episode of this on TV one day, never having heard of it before, and to my delight the first six seasons happened to be on Netflix! I'm not that big on violence and suspense which my only issue with detective shows like CSI, but Psych has that super satisfying crime-solving element mixed in with a humorous main character - keeping it light but still mysterious at all times. Plus, I'm a sucker for classic Holmesian problem-solving. Overall, really entertaining and sustains the waits between my other TV shows lol!

You'll need American Netflix to watch this. Just do a quick search on how to get it if you're Canadian.

There you have it! If you have any other recommendations for me (preferably on Netflix) please let me know :)

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Hey everyone! I recently got a few items from nailpolishcanada... (Yes, I need help.), and one of them is this polish from the new OPI collection "Couture de Minnie" called "A Definitely Moust-Have".

I wasn't originally going to get this but then it dawned on me that I don't have a hot-pink watermelon colour in my collection. In fact, that was kinda my response the the collection as a whole - was it unique? Not really... But there are some solid staples in that collection. Hot pink, cute creamy pink, and your standard red. Check it out: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/opi/collections/couture-de-minnie.html

Overall, the formulation was really great. It went on smooth and was relatively opaque. I used three coats to be safe but two is more than enough. The color is super ideal for summer and works well as a manicure or pedicure. If your summer has been less-than-ideal weather-wise (it's been extra rainy in Montreal for some reason), this is sure to be a great pick-me-up.

I also picked up "Chic From Ears to Tail" from the same collection so that'll be up as a NOTD very soon. Here are the rest of the goodies I got in the same order.